I would like to invite you to take a walk with me. Around my Spring Garden.
The warm temperatures lately have really brought it to life. 🌞
Okay…let’s go!
The first thing you notice as you step out the back door is the ornamental cherry tree…

Isn’t she gorgeous? You can (almost) watch the buds open into beautiful blossoms!

Right next to it is my lilac bush – a ‘Mother’s Day’ present from my lovely daughter! 💖

⬆️ That here is Lorelai 😋 She’s a bit camera shy!

At the foot of the lilac you’ll notice the Dandelions! Hubby is not too fond of them, calls them weeds! 😳 I love them, ’cause I say weeds are just flowers you didn’t plant!

Eddie and Lorelai are enjoying the outside-time!

The strong winds we had last week (40-50mph) brought down a lot of twigs and branches..

I guess yard-clean-up is in order…I’ll start with this one …

…’cause it looks like it wants to be a Dreamcatcher! 😍 I’ll let you know how that goes!

I just filled the birdfeeder – the little ones are quite hungry these days

The roses and the Maple tree are ready to welcome Spring…

…and so are the Forsythias and the Dogwood in the neighbors yard!

These are the succulents I had to leave outside 😕 but, just between you and me and the gatepost, they’re doing better than the ‘hen-and-chicks’ I brought inside. Hmmmm? 🤔

The leaves turn a reddish color when the temps get colder – but other than that it seems alright. We’ll keep an eye on it!

Now last but not least, this little guy here – sprouting leaves like a champ!

Honestly, I have no idea what this is! I dig up ‘volunteer trees’ that plant themselves too close to the house, and instead of in the trash they end up in pots! I just don’t have the heart to throw them into the dumpster!
Here you get a glimpse at a part of Eddie’s toy collection – the rest is spread out all over the yard. 😂

Alright, we’re back. I hope you enjoyed out little stroll!
Now I wish that Mother Nature doesn’t listen to the weather forecast that calls for freezing temperatures this weekend! 😨
I will keep you posted on the progress, dreamcatcher- and nature-wise!

Hello my lovely friends!
I just had a ‘meh’ – moment – I hope you don’t mind me telling you about it real quick!
Last week I heard that Garth Brooks is coming to Des Moines! 😍 EEEEK – that’s only 3 hours away! Now there is someone I’ve been waiting to see for…well, let’s say a looooong time, and leave it at that! 😉 Tickets went on sale at 10 am. At 8:45 I go to the website, click on ‘get tickets’ – just to check out the seating chart, prices etc. …so I thought. I landed in a ‘virtual waiting room’! So I waited…I set my alarm for 9:55, not that I went back to sleep, but I didn’t wanna sit there for over an hour, staring at the same page (they warned me not to leave the page, I’d go to the back of the line) uh-oh – can’t have that. 10 o’clock came and went, still waiting. At 10:10 they added another show – still waiting – at 10:25 they added yet another show – you guessed it, I’m still waiting. Now it’s 1:30, another show was added, and all that’s left are tickets on the 3rd level, way in the back. In the rafters? About a mile away from the stage? Eh – no! Long story short – there was my ‘meh’ moment – I didn’t get the tickets. MEH 😕 Next stop is in Fargo, ND…about 10 hours away! Tickets go on sale next Friday. I’ll let you know! 🤘

Sitting there I had some time to think about my next project! It’s going to be a
1. Double Dreamcatcher 💖 I’ve made a sketch so we know what it’s supposed to look like…

When I gave up on Garth I gathered the supplies…

Now in theory I know how this works (should work!) But somehow I see a lot of doing and undoing in my nearest future 😂 I’ll let you know!

2. I’m planning a longer blog-post (hopefully with an interview) about my visit to the National Silk Art Museum in Weston, MO. I visited Mr. John and his museum last Saturday (it’s just a skip and a hop up the street from my shop) What an amazing place! I didn’t know what to expect – for some reason I pictured silk panels, and -paintings. Boy, was I wrong. There you can find the most amazing collection of antique silk weavings. Until then I didn’t even though these pieces (and artform) exist(s).
Mr. John is the founder and curator, he finds, cleans, and frames these beautiful pieces. He doesn’t charge admission, but accepts donations.
I decided to help out a little. I designed a necklace – with silk fringe, of course – and a large portion of the sale of each necklace I will donate to the museum.

3. What’s new in the shop? you ask…Bracelets! I’ve really neglected that part of my jewelry line for a while. Here are some new designs Inspirational Quotes and Leather Bracelets with interchangeable focalsPlease take a look…

Speaking of Bracelets…do you play ‘Ring-around-the-Rosie’ when you try to put yours on? I know I do – so I was very happy to find this little tip…
*you can use a safety pin or a paper clip

How nifty is that?

Alrighty then – time to plan dinner! Or maybe we’ll go out! Even better! 😋

Have a lovely weekend! 😘 I hope to see you next time❣
’til then
~Tina xoxo

Dreamcatchers ~ I love them…and I’m thinking it’s safe to assume that you do too, or you wouldn’t be here, right?! 😍
There is something about these dainty creations that fascinates me. When I look at one, I can see the black shadows of nightmares getting tangled in the net, while the airy and happy dreams slip through the hole and slide down the feathers to the sleeper.
As I was sitting in my studio, tying and knotting the delicate web inside a hoop, I started to wonder about the inspiration, the reason. Well, I know they originate with the Native-Americans, I know about the nightmares being captured, and disappearing with the light of day. But what’s the story, the legend? So I did some research. After a little digging – visiting various websites, clicking on numerous links, I got lucky! I found the beautiful tale about the origin of the dreamcatcher…

Dreamcatchers originate with the people of the Ojibwe Tribe. Through intermarriage and trade they were later embraced by neighboring nations. Ancient tales of the Ojibwe people speak of the children’s caretaker, Spider Woman, known as Asibikaashi (the inanimate form of the word for spider of the Ojibwe people is ‘asabikeshiinh’) She is said to have taken care of all the children and people on the land.
As the Ojibwe nation began to fan out and settled all over North America, it was difficult for Asibikaashi to protect all the children. The mothers and grandmothers started weaving magical webs, using willow hoops and sinew, and would hang the charm above the cribs and beds to protect the wee ones from nightmares.

And so, thanks to Asibikaashi, and the mothers and grandmothers of the Ojibwe people, we get to enjoy these beautiful charms and are blessed with their protective powers.

Here are some Dreamcatchers I made over the past few weeks…

They even found their way into my jewelry…

As always ~ Thank you so very much for visiting! 💖
’til next time
~Tina xoxo